* October 10 update * Hurricane Milton made landfall last night in Florida, ripping the roof off a major league baseball stadium, battering barrier islands and killing at least 4 more Americans. Millions of Florida residents wok up the next day without electricity or basic utilities.

Even before Milton made landfall, The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal relief agencies were running short on money and personnel to help Americans recover. And that's entirely Congress' fault, and within their power to fix.

It was less than 2 weeks ago that Helene killed hundreds of Americans and shattered communities from the Gulf Coast of Florida to the mountains of Appalachia. All Americans have been shocked at how fast these mega storms formed and strengthened, and at the splintered houses, crushed cargo containers, and mud-covered highways they leave behind.

But while Republicans lie about climate change, disaster funding, and its impacts, climate hawks know the truth: Climate change makes hurricanes like Milton and Helene stronger, wetter, and more deadly. And that's why FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said weeks ago that climate change made Helene more dangerous and that “this is going to be a really complicated recovery in each of the five states” impacted by Helene — Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Now, Milton has made things worse, more complicated, and more expensive.

Congress has the responsibility to fund FEMA and disaster relief that can save lives, restore communities, and help them build back better and more resilient to our changing climate. But last month Congress passed a stopgap funding bill that actually cut funding for FEMA and disaster response. And as a result, FEMA’s disaster relief fund is already at a nearly $2 billion deficit.

FEMA and other agencies they have enough money to meet immediate needs for food, baby formula and direct assistance right now, but within weeks they'll run out of money to help states impacted by these climate fueled storms rebuild.

President Biden has said he would consider calling Congress back into session to pass emergency funding for disaster relief. But this shouldn't be about partisan politics. Send a letter now to tell Congress to get back to work and act on the climate crisis.